Almost everyone wants to play the guitar. Whether it is being able to sit around a campfire and play folk songs, serenade a loved one, or be the star on the stage in a rock band, everyone dreams of being a guitar idol. However, few realize the rigors and physical demands of prolonged playing of a guitar and other stringed instruments.
Guitarists are some of the most vulnerable musicians to hand injuries. Repetitive strain injuries or injuries of the musculoskeletal and/or nervous systems caused by repetitive tasks, forceful exertions, vibrations, mechanical compression, or sustained or awkward positions are particularly prevalent for guitar players. Examples of common problems include nerve compression syndromes, such as carpel tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome. Tendonitis or inflammation of the tendons is also common in the wrist of a guitar player. Other ailments include tennis elbow, focal dystonia, and arthritis.
Surprisingly it is often the strumming hand rather than or in addition to the fret hand that develops the repetitive strain injuries. A plectrum, also known as a pick, is a traditionally flat tool used to pluck or strum a stringed instrument. Playing a guitar with a plectrum produces a bright sound compared to plucking with the fingertip. Plectrums also offer a greater contrast in tone across different plucking locations. For these reasons and more, most guitar players prefer to use a plectrum when playing. Thus, the strumming hand of a guitar player is often holding a plectrum by squeezing it between the thumb and one or more other fingers while the hand is making a strumming motion. These muscular stresses and awkward movements together over time can lead to fatigue and/or injury of the hand, such as one or more of the injuries discussed above.
Plectrum design has been largely unchanged since its first introduction as a flat surface in the late nineteenth century. Though different materials have been used and different thicknesses of the plectrum have been manufactured, very little has been done in terms of designing a plectrum that is more comfortable for the guitar player to hold and that reduces the likelihood of hand fatigue and injury. In addition, because of the uniform size and shape of a plectrum, only a single sound can be produced using conventional plectrums. Furthermore, because of their generally flat shape, plectrums are difficult to store and are easy for the guitarist to misplace.
There is therefore a need for a plectrum that is ergonomically designed and that has improved handleability. There is a further need for a plectrum that reduces hand fatigue and reduces the likelihood of hand injury. There is a further need for a plectrum that can produce multiple sounds. There is still a further need for a plectrum that is easy to store in connection with a stringed instrument.